Kim: military innovations will drive Ukraine's economic growth and prosperity

The military-technical sphere should become a driver of economic growth and post-war prosperity for Ukraine. This conviction was expressed by the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitaliy Kim, in his article for the South Korean publication The Korea Times, UNN reports.

The war has proven that those who adapt faster win. South Korea knows this logic well: Samsung, Hyundai, and LG became global leaders due to flexibility, bold engineering solutions, and rapid innovations. Ukraine is undergoing a similar process in its military innovations.

According to him, a unique ecosystem of military technologies has emerged in Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, and other cities, functioning as a "wartime accelerator."

In Mykolaiv, engineers transform commercial drones into high-precision systems with secure communication in just a few months. In Kharkiv, ground robotic platforms for evacuation and logistics are being developed and tested at the front line, literally undergoing immediate trials. In Dnipro, localized production of FPV drones is operating on a large scale. The cycle of "idea — testing — adjustment — implementation" has been reduced to weeks.

He recalled how, in the 1960s-80s, technological giants Samsung and Hyundai developed similarly – through learning, rapid adaptation, and engineering boldness.

For both our countries, technology is a tool for national security. It is important that many Ukrainian innovations have a dual purpose: from robotics and autonomy to secure communication and civilian security systems. This is how military innovations become a driving force for economic growth, reflecting South Korea's experience.